Freyja
by LittleMissTree
Summary: Freyja, a powerful Norse goddess, has been on Earth for over three hundred years. When a certain god comes back into her life, she has a choice to make. But will he fall for her plan? Or will he discover her true nature and destroy the Avengers once and for all? Set during the Avengers with some changes. Loki/OC.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hello there and welcome to my story! I hope you enjoy the first few chapters, which will just be setting the scene and introducing the characters, and then I'll get to the more meaty parts...or something :) **

_Freyja, in Norse mythology, is known as the foremost goddess of the Vanir, a race of peace-loving gods. She is the goddess of fertility, love, beauty, attraction, war, battle, death, wealth, magic and prophecies, and is also known as the kindest of all gods._

_During her many visits to Asgard, Freyja fell in love with the trickster and god of Mischief and Lies, Loki, who broke her heart when he betrayed her and stole her beloved magical dress which allowed the user to travel between worlds. After the final battle of Ragnarok, where her father and twin brother were killed, she disappeared from Asgard and Vanaheimr, her home, and travelled to Midgard to live as a mortal in order to escape from all the grief and disappointment that would await her if she were to return to Asgard._

_There, she disguised herself as a plain, young woman and lived through many hundreds of years, constantly moving from one place to another, starting her life over each time but making sure that she did not leave a single imprint on a person or location. Throughout this period of time, her memory of Asgard and the gods who lived there, especially Loki, grew smaller and smaller, the details of her life becoming more clouded as each day passed. Although Freyja was aware of the great power that she possessed, she did not think a great deal about it. Eventually the years changed her, moulding her into a more powerful and strong-willed being. No longer could she be considered the kindest god of all._

_However, this all changed when one day she heard someone whisper a familiar name…and that name was 'Loki'._

It had been two years, and I was still working as a lower class agent at the secret organisation, S.H.I.E.L.D. My job regularly consisted of following up reports of people associated with S.H.I.E.L.D., running errands for the more superior agents and generally staying out of everyone's way. Things had only started to pick up once the Avengers were called in for a mission that was known to most people but I, of which was not surprising considering things had been pretty tense around the offices. The atmosphere at work buzzed with the arrival of these extraordinary people, and I noticed that almost every conversation involved them. I didn't really see what was so special about them, knowing that I was far more powerful than all of them put together. However, I was never one for boasting and had never dared to inform anyone of my abilities, just in case S.H.I.E.L.D. picked up on it and I never saw the light of day again due to all the testing and so on. I could use a few of them in my day to day life, but many of them were far from subtle and so the majority of the time, I couldn't practise my abilities.

I was on a twenty four hour shift when the Avengers were called out to Germany on an assignment, and I was about to drop dead from all the staring that I had done at a computer screen since six in the morning. Using the magical powers of coffee, I managed to stay awake just long enough for the Avengers to return. From the quiet conversations that surrounded me, I learned that things had gone fairly smoothly for Fury's team, apart from a small understanding. It was at that moment that I picked up on something, mentally thanking the coffee that I was coherent enough to understand what was being said.

"Did you hear what happened? What do you think he was trying to do?" A voice murmured nearby.

"I don't know but that Loki sure is a mad man…" A second voice trailed off, leaving the conversation hanging.

My ears pricked up at that name and I froze, my hands coming to a standstill on the computer keyboard that I had been slaving away on for hours. Did I hear that right? Did that man really say Loki? For all I knew, Loki was still on Asgard, continuing to cause mischief for his brother, Thor. I had tried to think of Loki as little as possible over the last few hundred years. After all, he had betrayed me and stolen one of my most prized possessions that I needed badly. My breath became more and more ragged and I could feel my heartbeat increase as the memories that I shared with Loki and those of my time on Asgard resurfaced. I remembered the times when we laughed together, and danced together, and that one night when I was so sure that he would turn our friendship into something more, but he never did. I also remembered the many arguments and battles that took place on Asgard, whether they were family related or an invasion from other another species of god, and how I had ridden out beside Odin, Loki and Thor to the plains of Asgard to fight.

"Yeah…and now he's here, on the Helicarrier," the first voice replied.

This knowledge brought me back to her senses and I shook the feeling of dread that had begun to creep its way through my body from myself. Loki was so close, and yet I could do nothing for I was so insignificant in this organisation that I was sure Director Fury did not even know I walked the planet.

"Along with his brother."

"Will you stop talking so loudly?" The agent said through gritted teeth, motioning towards me who was listening intently to their conversation. I turned my head quickly back to my computer screen so as to not cause any more suspicion, but I could tell that both agents were fully aware of my eavesdropping.

"Ahh yeah, sorry."

Even though I had been found out, I had already heard all that I needed to. So, Thor was here too. This was surprising. Usually it was Loki following Thor around everywhere, and now it seemed that the tables had turned. What mischief was Loki up to that was so important that Thor needed to keep an eye on his brother? It can't be that serious, I said to myself. Though Loki's tricks were something of a nuisance and could make anyone want to teach him a lesson he would never forget, they had never really got out of hand and had never been serious enough for Thor to get involved.

I continued to ponder over the reason to why Loki would be here on Earth for a while and was completely oblivious to the meeting being held in the room next to me, something that I would find out about later. Little did I know that I was the subject of a very important conversation…

Director Fury had gathered all the Avengers in one room, hoping that they would happily go along with his plan. Of course, he knew that they would most likely be outraged at the idea and start up another huge argument over who should be in charge. He also knew that the first person to openly criticise him would be Tony Stark.

"So, what are we going to do about him?" Natasha Romanoff, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top agent asked, interrupting Fury's thoughts.

"Well I personally would like to push him off a very tall building, but I think we all know that that would not do much," Stark replied humorously.

"Stark," Steve said, his voice carrying a warning tone, "Do you have to make everything a joke?"

"Only when it's funny."

This sparked a number of disagreements amongst the group and it was only when Fury could not stand their incessant bickering any longer that he decided to notify them of his plan.

"Enough of this. I did not bring you together so that you could fight over every little thing. Now listen, I have an idea that I would like to propose," Nick Fury declared.

The Avengers fell silent, and those who had started to turn towards the door sauntered back towards their seats. They were all intrigued to know what idea Fury had come up with this time, and were secretly betting amongst them on whether it would actually be a good plan.

"From what Thor has told me, not a lot can persuade Loki into telling us where the Tesseract is, and there is not much we can do to break him, except from one thing. Apparently, he has always sought after the love and approval of other people, of which most was given to Thor when they were younger. That, I believe, is his weakest point."

"And what are you planning to do?" Steve enquired.

Fury shifted his gaze over to Thor, who stood there with his muscly arms crossed across his body and it was clear that he knew what Fury was up to.

"Are you sure that's wise?" Thor asked Fury.

"What's wise?" Stark questioned, looking back and forth between Fury and Thor, "I didn't think you liked my idea that much."

"Not your idea, Stark. I think the only possible way that we can hope to break Loki is from the inside. I want someone to get close to him, close enough so that they earn his trust, and just when he thinks he has found someone to rely on, I want to pull the carpet right out from under his feet, figuratively speaking," Fury announced.

"You think that will work?" said Natasha, her eyebrows raised in a mix of surprise and uncertainty. The rest of the group exchanged incredulous looks, not quite believing what Fury was saying.

"It's got to. I don't think there's another way."

"There's always another way."

"But who is actually going to go along with this?" Stark asked, "I wouldn't…but then I can't really, can I?"

Up until that point, Dr. Banner had remained quiet, but he felt that he needed to be more included in this conversation, especially if he was to be a part of the group.

"You've already chosen," he said bluntly, his assumption being affirmed by the small nod that Fury gave.

"I've chosen an unknown agent who is mostly unaware of what we do here at S.H.I.E.L.D. so if Loki were to attempt to pressure her to…say, divulge our secrets, she would literally be speechless."

"What's her name?" Natasha asked.

"Freyja."


	2. Chapter 2

Nothing much had happened after the two agents had stopped talking, and I had started to wonder why I remained in such a monotonous job when I could be ruling over the Vanir and practising my magic freely. I sighed and stood up, walking away from my desk to fill my empty coffee cup. I really did not understand how people could get through the day without coffee. Mortals led such busy lives. As I walked across the room, Director Fury entered it, looking straight at me. Behind him were the Avengers, who all had stern and judging expressions on their faces. I looked around, wondering who they were staring at, but I was the only person in the room that they could be staring at. Fabulous. I didn't even think Fury knew I was alive, but here he was, looking at me.

"Freyja…"

Oh great, I thought, what had I done now? And why were we on first name basis?

"We'd like you to come with us."

Wait, what? I could not quite see why Fury would want to speak with me, let alone involve me in something. Unless he knew…but then, he couldn't know, could he? I had never practised my magic openly and had certainly never told anyone of my true identity, so Fury couldn't be here because of that.

"Er okay, but why? What do you want with me? I haven't done anything, have I?" I decided that I would portray myself as a 'I-ask-too-many-questions' type of girl so as to not come across as a particularly interesting person who had an attitude. On Asgard, I was infamously known for being able to change my personality quickly and with little thought, and this particular skill had proved to be helpful so far. In truth, my attitude stretched across several continents, but since this was a different life from the one I had on Asgard, it had shrunk considerably so I could fit in a bit better.

"Everything will be explained to you shortly. If you would just come with us," Fury turned and motioned to Steve, who took me by the arm and led me out of the room.

The other Avengers followed suit and soon they were walking briskly down several flights of stairs and through winding corridors. I complied silently, not wanting to kick up a fuss, my glossy, light auburn hair swaying from side to side in the rhythm of my footsteps. Though I had softened my features when I first arrived on Earth, so as to ensure that I looked as human as was possible for a goddess, I could not degrade the beauty of my hair. It was something I had truly been grateful for inheriting. The changes to my face also made sure that I could not be recognised by the likes of Thor and Loki.

It had been so long since I had seen Loki and I could not remember exactly what he looked like. I remembered that he was rather tall, with shoulder length hair that was as black as the midnight sky that encircled Asgard after the Sun had set, and he was handsome, very handsome. When I had first arrived on Asgard, Loki and I were just children, but I was immediately captured by his dark humour and unusual looks. We became friends rather quickly, and I had always hoped that they would become more. But, Loki appeared to not see me in that way, and we never had more than a few flirtatious encounters.

"In here," My thoughts came to an abrupt end as Fury and the Avengers led me into a small room.

There weren't any windows except from a mirror, which I could only presume to be a two-way mirror, so that people could see in to the room but no one could see out. I wondered why they had brought me to this interrogation room as I was pretty sure that I had not done anything to be interrogated about. Not recently anyway, I thought, remembering back to the time when I knocked a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent unconscious, but that was different. I mean, he drank all the coffee.

"Please sit," and I did, crossing my legs and rubbing my sweaty palms on my thighs. In all my time as a goddess, I had never felt the need to be nervous, but since I was a guest on the mortal planet, I was not as confident as if I was still on Asgard. And there was a first time for everything, I suppose. Despite this, I used my cunning ways to appear comfortable.

"We have a proposal for you," started Fury, boring into my eyes, making me shift anxiously and gaze around at the Avengers towering over me, "and we hope that you will accept our somewhat _generous_ offer."

"What is it?"

"You may be aware that a certain…criminal has recently come to our attention, and we would like you to help."

I ceased my thigh-rubbing and my eyes shot up to Fury. Could this mortal be asking me what I thought he was asking me? If he was talking about Loki, then why would he choose such an inferior agent? Even though I could not make sense of it, I was fairly flattered that at least some of my godly qualities were managing to shine through, and I allowed myself a small smile, too small for any of the humans to pick up with their limited eyesight.

"Not that I'm not ungrateful, but why would you ask me to help?" I questioned, eager for a little more attention that I had been lacking for the past three hundred years.

"Yeah Fury, why? I mean, that's what we'd all like to know," asked Stark, causing Fury to glare at him.

"That's none of your business, Stark," Fury turned back to me and answered my question, "I am asking you because I believe you to be the most suitable choice for this task."

"And what is this task?"

Fury paused for a moment and then continued, "I want you to get close to our honoured guest. One of our team has kindly informed us of how to go about this, and I would like you to earn his trust."

I could hardly believe my ears. This was it. My one chance to get close to the man who had broken my heart, and I would not let him forget it.

"Then what?"

"I will inform of that when you have earned his trust." It appeared that the conversation had come to an end, Tony Stark taking me by the arm and leading me out of the room, and although Fury had told me very little about the task, I knew exactly what he was asking of me. He wanted me to make him fall in love with me, and then, when he was at his weakest, I would rip his dreams apart, and I was more than happy to oblige.

Tony Stark opened a door for me, and I slipped past him and into the area that would be my living accommodation for the duration of my acquaintance with Loki. The room was of a decent size, and had been decorated modestly in various shades of blue. There was a moderately sized bed with a plush cover and several plump pillows which begged me to treat myself with a few hours of rest.

"Well here it is. Don't get too comfortable or anything. We wouldn't want that now, would we?" Tony smirked at me; clearly jeering at the fact a sub-standard agent was getting such an important mission, and followed me into the room. I turned round with an annoyed look on my face and sized him up. So this was the mighty Iron Man, I thought to myself, immediately coming to the conclusion that I could bring him down easily in a fight. But, this was not the time or place to reveal who I truly was, and so I decided to ignore Tony's comment and instead chose to ask him a question.

"What exactly does Fury want me to do?"

Tony smiled, not answering my query, and turned towards the door, closing it with a sickly sweet farewell, "Goodnight pumpkin. Sweet dreams."

"Pumpkin? How dare he call me a thick orange fruit! I am neither thick nor orange," I whispered infuriatingly, reverting back to my true self, and found my way to the enticing bed in the middle of the room. I didn't bother to change into more suitable clothing, feeling far too exhausted to bother with such petty things. I took my shoes off and climbed into bed, resting my head on the soft pillows and I drifted off into a haunting sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Anonymous Guest Reviewer: Thank you for your review! I'll try to update as quickly as I can :)**

_I glided towards the Great Hall, my auburn hair shimmering down my back, a few stray curls cloaking my bare shoulders. The Sun had long descended into its nightly slumber and the heavens glittered with stars that were strewn across its indigo surface; it was the night of Loki's birthday, and I was excited to show him just how much I craved his attention. I unlocked the doors to the Great Hall and the effect of my sudden entrance was apparent on the faces of the court._

_Every person turned towards me, the youngest and smallest of the court eager to catch a glimpse of the most honoured goddess. It was clear to all why I was often named the goddess of beauty and attraction, for I was the image of beauty itself, with long flowing hair and silky features that seemed to radiate a soft glow. Tonight, I was wearing a gold satin dress that was framed in tiny amber and gold leaves, for my tears were widely known to be made of the precious metal. It emphasised my curves and highlighted my already alluring figure._

_I walked briskly towards the centre of the room, aware of the hundreds of eyes that were upon me, and looked straight ahead. There, arising from his throne was the great Odin, the All-Father. He smiled at me warmly and went to greet me, his arms enveloping my body in an affectionate embrace._

"_Freyja, my dear, how lovely it is to see you again."_

"_I thank you most graciously for inviting me to this wonderful celebration." I bowed my head in respect for the king and took his hand as we returned to the table where the Royal Family sat. Though I was not an official member of the Asgardian Royal Family, I was regarded as the most noble of goddesses, aside from Frigga, and was royal in my own right, being the Lady of the Vanir. I was sure that even the All-Father did not know of the true extent of my powers as I had chosen to hide many of my abilities, even from my own brother. They were too dark for Asgard._

_Odin and Freyja paused in front of the table and turned round as I was to be introduced properly to the Royal Court._

"_May I present our honoured guest, Lady Freyja, Most High Goddess of Vanaheimr."_

_The Court cheered and everyone took their places in the room ready to begin the first dance of the evening._

_I went over to the Royal table, where I was greeted by Thor. He looked at me with great love and admiration, although he would never admit it as he was far too in love with himself to openly care much about anyone else._

"_Lady Freyja, it is most pleasing to see you here tonight," said Thor, pressing his lips to the soft skin of my hand._

"_It is indeed," announced a voice, interrupting our greeting._

_I whipped around, and sure enough, there was Loki with his usual mischievous grin painted on his pale face. He was wearing his standard attire, although I noticed that some of the edges had been decorated with emerald and gold trimmings. My lips soon settled into a welcoming smile and I stepped forward to embrace Loki, breathing a sigh of relief as I felt his warm arms wrap around me._

"_Happy Birthday, My Lord," I whispered, inhaling as much of his scent as possible before he decided to pull away so that he could look at me. I peered up at him with dazzling sapphire eyes framed by thick black lashes, a shade of rose appearing on my cheeks. Well, I hoped they were dazzling sapphires._

"_Freyja, you know you do not need to call me that," Loki replied, a cheeky smile playing on his smooth lips._

"_That's Lady Freyja to you, My Lord," I retorted, performing an overly enthusiastic bow to mock him. My mockery succeeded in annoying him, and he rolled his eyes, leading me toward the dancing couples. _

"_So, how old are you now? Must be ancient by the size of this celebration," I continued to tease him._

"_That's for me to know and for you-" he pulled me in closely, "-to never find out."_

_I laughed and rested my head on his chest, closing my eyes as our moving bodies swirled around the ornate hall, sighing__ as the memory slipped away._

I woke up with a start, beads of sweat trickling down my face. From what I could see in the mirror that hung on the wall, my face was close to the colour of ash. The Sun had just begun to peek through the curtains, blinding my sleepy eyes. It had been a long time since I had experienced a memory so vivid, especially one of my time with Loki. It was not difficult to deduce that I was anxious to be reacquainted with him, even though he would not know it was me. I thought back to the memory, cringing at my vanity and swore never to be that arrogant again.

Slowly pushing myself off the bed, I made my way to the bathroom, eager to feel the comfort of heated water flowing over my body and as soon as it made contact with my skin, a soothing sensation overcame my previous worrying thoughts. My mind was torn in two. I longed to stay under the protective shield of the calming water, but I also wanted to see what had become of my once close friend. However, I could not refuse an offer like this, especially as Fury had asked_ me_ of all people to aid him in this task.

I climbed out of the shower, drying myself quickly, and peered into the wardrobe, hoping to find some suitable clothing. I quickly decided upon a black vest top and jeans, and although I had never cared much for mortal clothing, I found these were amongst the most comfortable. It was not long before there was a knock at the door.

"I hope you're decent, but if you're not, I'm coming in anyway." Stark's aggravating voice could be heard through the door, and even though it was widely known that he was in a stable relationship, he had not lost his flirtatious manner that continued to annoy pretty much everyone.

"No surprise there," I muttered and opened the door to see him leaning casually against the door frame.

"It's time. Fury will meet us on the way to Loki's cell and explain everything to you."

I nodded and followed him down the corridor. Soon, Fury joined us along with several of the other Avengers and explained to me what I needed to do.

"I want you to visit him every day. Talk to him, joke with him, whatever, I don't care just as long as you get the job done. Act how you think is best but make sure that you earn his trust." Fury informed me, typing in a code for the door to Loki's cell and pressing his thumb against the small screen.

"How long do I have?"

"Three weeks."

I shifted my gaze from Fury to the door, breathing deeply as it opened. Was three weeks long enough to get the job done? Loki was always good at seeing straight through people, and I hoped that I knew him well enough to be able to fool him. I stepped inside, twisting so that my back was facing Loki's cell, took an even deeper breath, and turned to face him.


	4. Chapter 4

There, only metres away in a glass shell stood Loki, his back to me. It would appear to any human that Loki had not acknowledged another person entering the room, but I knew his characteristics well and could sense that he felt my presence. As he turned to face me, I was thankful that my magic allowed my appearance to change so that Loki would not fully recognise me.

"Ah, I see they have resorted to sending a mortal woman in to keep me company. How _nice_," Loki sneered at me, his eyes drifting over my mediocre figure, apparently not fully satisfied with what he saw.

"Yeah well I'm not too happy about it either but I guess I'm going to have to put up with you," I hissed, choosing to insert a little attitude into my human portrayal of 'Freyja in front of Loki'. He seemed surprised at my change in character, his eyes showing hints of curiosity, but he quickly reverted back to his cold stare.

"And what do you want?" He replied sharply, venom dripping from each word.

"Well at first I thought we could have some fun together. But you seem really boring so I think I'll just sit here," I said, aware of the childish nature of my reply. I didn't care though; I was going to have _a lot_ of fun doing this. I sat down on the cold floor of Loki's cell and drummed my fingers on my knees.

Loki did not move, apparently unsure of how to act in front of a mortal woman. He did not stop staring at me though, and I couldn't help but notice how different his eyes were. When we were friends, his eyes were soft with a glint of mischievousness, foreshadowing his later schemes, but now they were empty of that softness and were full of hate and power. I could even feel the darkness radiating from his body. But there was something else too, almost hidden, and that was sadness.

I spent several minutes thinking of ways that I could taunt him, but then I remembered that Fury had asked me to gain his trust, I could feel him watching me, so I scratched that plan and focused instead on being kind, with a few jokes here and there to lighten the mood… and for my own amusement of course.

"So Loki, it seems like you've got yourself in a bit of a predicament, huh?" I said childishly.

"If you mean this cell, then you are clearly mistaken." He mumbled, offended that I had thought him so powerless.

"Sorry," I replied, appearing as if I hoped I hadn't offended him too much. Internally, I wanted him to be, but considering I was supposed to be befriending him, I chose to apologise instead.

"What for?"

"Thinking you powerless." I knew that he was aware of what I was apologising for, but of course, being Loki, he wanted his ego repairing.

Loki gazed at me, his eyes once again full of curiosity. I decided that now would be the time to start sucking up to him.

"I know you're not at all."

"You know nothing, mortal."

"Perhaps, but then again, perhaps not." I could tell that Loki was becoming confused with the ambiguity that surrounded most of my replies by the narrowing of his eyes.

"You know nothing of power. You have not even tasted it. Therefore, you know nothing."

My face twisted and I tried to look as hurt as I could, but inside I was laughing. If only he knew how much I had really tasted. If only.

"But you have, and still you seem so lost," I said, trying to put a little understanding into my voice. How funny it was to see that the tables had turned. Now I was the one manipulating him.

I saw his expression change to one of sorrow, but this was quickly replaced by one of anger. In that brief moment, something twisted inside of me and I nearly felt sorry for him. I knew how I felt about him. I knew that I could hate him as much as was possible and still have some part of me feeling something for him. But that part was not enough.

The anger soon subsided from Loki's face and I concluded that it was probably best to leave. As I turned towards the exit, Loki suddenly appeared in front of me.

"You haven't even told me your name. What is it?" His voice had a hint of playfulness about it, and it was if we were back in Asgard and friends again, teasing each other like we always did.

That's when I decided that two could play at the game, relishing in the memory I had experienced the previous night, and looking at him directly in the eyes, I replied, "That's for me to know and for you-"I took a few steps closer to him so that our lips were almost touching, "-to never find out."

The familiarity of the phrase registered on Loki's face, and before he could work it out, I walked out of the room.

* * *

"That was some character change back there sweetheart. I am actually impressed," Tony said as I walked out of Loki's cell and proceeded past him and Fury. It was coffee time.

"I guess I pegged you wrong. And Tony Stark is never wrong."

I rolled my eyes at the statement. He was almost as bad as Loki in the ego department, but I let him and Fury catch up with me anyway.

"I thought you were some sort of wuss. But perhaps you can't always judge a book by its cover."

"Stark." Fury warned him.

I suddenly stopped, letting Tony walk into me. I then turned around, hoping that I could at least get in a semi-reasonable slap in the few seconds before Fury grabbed my arm. However, I was too slow and Tony ducked.

"You did a good job, Agent…"

I sighed. So that was why Fury and I were on a first name basis. Apparently I did exist in Fury's eyes, but barely.

"Njordson. Freyja Njordson."

"Right. Yes, well, a good job all the same. But maybe next time, try and actually make some more progress," he replied, managing to be nice and harsh at the same time (I thought I had done okay), and strolled off, leaving me to put up with Stark all by myself.

"Just me and you now. Together. Alone," Tony stated, pulling a packet out of one of his pockets, "Blueberry?"

I groaned, not even being able to withstand him for a few minutes and continued to walk down the corridor, but not before I took the packet of blueberries and poured them over his head, smiling sweetly.

* * *

**Loki's P.O.V.**

I had barely moved an inch since that woman had left my cell. Something about those words felt so familiar, almost as if I had spoken them myself, and yet, I could not quite put my finger on it. Her visit had been very strange, but then most things that these mortals did were strange and it did not surprise me that a woman had been chosen to call upon me in my new residence. Perhaps the humans thought I would be more sensitive with a female in the room. I laughed at the notion. They really did not know me at all, despite all the information that they had most certainly acquired from my brother.

My thoughts drifted back to the woman who had been here only moments ago. I couldn't help but be curious about her. She was different from all the other humans that I had encountered since arriving on this realm, and she intrigued me. I definitely had strong feelings towards her, but I couldn't yet determine whether they were good or bad. Only time would tell and I was interested to see whether she would return.

* * *

**If there's anything that you would like Loki and Freyja to discuss in the upcoming chapters, please let me know! **


	5. Chapter 5

After leaving Tony, I headed back to my room, a smile still on my face from the expression on his as I poured his precious blueberries all over his head and onto the floor. Tony Stark was just used to getting his own way and because of this I doubted if I could ever get to like him. I used to be like that too, especially on Asgard, but I usually blamed that on the fact that I was too young and foolish to know any better. Maybe it was just the way I was brought up and I couldn't exactly help that. Nevertheless, looking back on my life in a different realm was painful and embarrassing. I knew I had changed since then, but being with Loki had just brought back all the memories that we shared.

Our meeting had been strange, but that was probably because I kept confusing him with my personality shifting, and I also couldn't help but feel something for him, even after all this time and all the things that he had done. But I had a job to do, and I couldn't let Fury or myself down. This was my one opportunity to do things my way, with the god of Mischief being at the receiving end of it all. Perhaps some people would think me evil, but I preferred to look at it as a price for all of Loki's wrongdoings.

All this thinking about Loki was making my head hurt and I decided that it was best to lie down for a bit to try and sort out my emotions. I kicked off my shoes and went to rest on the comfortable bed, my head pounding furiously. I slipped in and out of consciousness for what must have been several hours until I heard my stomach growling. That was when I realised that I had not eaten anything since the previous day and I had also not drunk much, which explained the headache.

I got out of bed, feeling very faint, and edged towards the door. But before I could reach the handle, a door burst open to a rather large figure. My vision blurred for a moment and then came rushing back into focus as I realised who it was.

"I apologise if I startled you, my lady. I am here to tell you that we are all convening for an early dinner," Thor announced to me as I squinted to block most of the light that was emitting from the corridor.

I did not completely take in what he was saying and so we stood in silence for several moments until he spoke up, "Are you well?"

"Hmm? Oh yes, I'm fine," I responded, trying to remember what he had told me. In truth, I was not feeling at all well.

"Then shall we go?"

"Go where?" At this, Thor looked at me strangely and repeated his earlier words. When I finally understood, I nodded and we made our way to the dining area of the Helicarrier, which I had never been to before being of an inferior rank and had usually resorted to fridges in the offices.

An awkward silence hung in the air as Thor and I walked along to the dining area, but eventually the quiet atmosphere became too much for him and he chose to introduce himself.

"I am Thor, of Asgard. I am also the brother of Loki."

I turned my head towards him and nodded.

"Oh but of course, you do not know of Asgard."

"No, I don't think they do any package holidays there," I joked with him, but he just looked at me strangely, as he had done previously. Either he did not get the joke or it wasn't very funny. Then I remembered that they didn't have package holidays on Asgard, my joke making me realise how long I had been on Earth…or Midgard, whichever.

"How did your visit with my brother fair?" He said, changing the subject quickly to avoid even more awkwardness.

It was odd really, because back on Asgard, we had always been quite comfortable in each other's presence.

"It was…interesting. He's certainly not the nicest person in the world," I replied, stating the most obvious fact of the year.

"I fear he has been damaged beyond repair. But I trust that you can help him. You are just the person who could possible reach his heart and bring back the brother I grew up with."

"And what makes you think that I'm the one to do it?"

"I'm not sure. There's something about you that I cannot place, but that something is what I believe will be the key to Loki's redemption."

"Thanks, I think."

We fell silent once again as we heard the voices of the other Avengers coming from the dining area. Thor offered to wait for me to go first, but I shook my head, debating whether I could put up with Tony Stark for the next hour or so. I stood there for a while until I heard a voice calling me.

"Freyja! Are you going to stand there or come join us? We'll let you cook if you like," came Tony's mocking voice.

Many heads turned towards me at that point, focusing their attention on me. I looked at each of them, being able to recognise the majority of them from when Fury had come to talk to me about my 'special' task and also from the many reports that other agents had to complete (I took a peek at them whenever they went off to get something and left the file open). On the far side of the table in the dining area was Steve Rogers a.k.a. Captain America and Tony's _best _friend, sitting next to who I believed to be Dr. Banner. I had read a fair bit about his work and was vaguely aware of what happened to him, not being allowed to access the more detailed version of his file. Then there was Agent Romanoff, who was apparently quite a ruthless assassin, being one of the best that America could offer. There was an empty seat next to her, looking as if she was saving it for someone. I debated whether I should go sit there, but she seemed somewhat protective of it. I scanned the room again, with the strange feeling that someone was missing.

"Is she okay?" Someone whispered and I realised that I had just been standing there staring at each one of them.

I turned towards the voice and saw Agent Coulson, a person who I had met several times but never had a conversation with. He was standing next to Fury who had one of his eyebrows raised in my direction. I wasn't making a very good impression so I smiled and went to sit opposite Tony, remembering what he had just said.

"Just because I am a woman, that does NOT mean I should cook for you."

"I'm a woman and I don't cook," said Natasha, and I noticed that she had a morose look on her face, which Tony noticed too. She had been deep in thought for the past few minutes and I wondered what had happened, considering no one told me anything around here. Of course, I could try and enter her mind, but I respected her privacy and decided against it.

"Well aren't you two just a vision of happiness. The good thing is that the food has already been cooked. I'm starving," Tony and declared and went to help himself to the food, not bothering to ask if anyone else wanted any.

After several arguments over who was to eat the last sausage, which resulted in Thor smashing his hand down on the table and eating it himself, everyone had eaten enough and the mood had lifted slightly since they were no longer hungry. I was thankful that I did not feel faint, and my mind had been taken off of my earlier meeting with Loki. I badly wanted to fall asleep right there and then, but it seemed like I had been called to the dining area for something as well as food.

"I have been talking with the other Avengers, and we have decided that it would be best if you knew the truth. The whole truth," Fury began.

"Okay…what do I need to know?"

"Well, first we would like to talk to you about the Tesseract."

"The what?"

"The Tesseract. It's a very powerful source of energy-"

"Oh you mean that big blue cube thing," I said, interrupting the Director and then I realised my mistake. I wasn't exactly supposed to know about that. The name had seemed familiar to me when I first read about it, but I couldn't think of where I had heard of it before.

He chose to overlook this and replied, "Yes. We had it in our protection for some time but unfortunately it was taken from us, along with several people, including Agent Barton."

Oh, so that's who was missing, and that was who Agent Romanoff was saving a seat for. It all started to make sense now.

"So Loki took the Tesseract? What is he planning to do with it?" I knew that I could easily obtain this information from Loki's mind myself, but it would appear suspicious if I was aware of Loki's plans without being informed of them first. That would not aid me in my plan at all.

"We are unsure of his exact plans, but we do have an idea of what he's up to. It's obvious that Loki is planning to harness the energy of the Tesseract and use it for his own ends."

"From the conversation that I had with my brother before we brought him here, it looks as if he is attempting to rule Midgard," Thor interjected, "I also received the impression that Loki is not acting of his own accord."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"There are many powerful beings spread across the realms. I believe that one of these beings is partly responsible for the actions of my brother. By himself, he does not wield the power to attempt to rule this particular realm."

"So I'm supposed to figure out who this other 'being' is and also what Loki is planning to do?" A flurry of thoughts passed through my mind. I was powerful enough to overthrow Loki and claim this power for myself, but if I accomplished such a feat, what would happen to the Earth? I didn't really want to admit it, but I had grown quite fond of being amongst humans, and I didn't know if I could subject them to being ruled by a god. Do I go along with the Avengers and their plan, or do I continue with my own plan and seek vengeance on my terms? After all, that was what Loki deserved, wasn't it?

"Yes, and we're relying on you Agent Njordson," Fury interrupted my disputing thoughts, his words making the choice even more difficult. I really did not know what to do.

**Trying not to rush this story too much, but I promise that we'll get to the action parts and a few more Loki/Freyja scenes soon!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you, JJCME and Anonymous for your kind reviews. I'm glad you're enjoying this story :)**

My conflicting thoughts continued their battle as I ventured towards Loki's cell once again; Fury's words still fresh in my mind. He was relying on me, and that made it all the more difficult. It also made the decision of how I should act in front of Loki harder, and so the war in my mind raged on.

The knowledge I had received last night was classified information, and I was now being considered a more superior agent, which meant that I had been given the code for Loki's cell and did not need Fury to escort me like I was a child. Ordinarily, I would have been excited at this promotion, but given the current situation, I would have preferred it if they had chosen another agent to do this job. I typed in the code and pressed my thumb against the screen, just like Fury had done. As soon as I stepped into the cell, I blocked my thoughts so that Loki could not read them. It wasn't long until I could hear Loki's voice again.

"Back so soon? Shame, I was rather enjoying the peace and quiet."

"Loki, I'm not here to play games with you," I said softly, sitting down on the floor like I did the first time, "I'm here to talk."

"Why would _I_, a king, want to talk to _you_, a pathetic mortal?"

I flinched and my eyes focused on the floor, tracing the faint lines that ran through it to try and distract me from my contemplations before I replied, "You should be grateful that you have someone to talk to."

"Oh but you're not just here to talk, are you?" Loki asked, clearly pleased with himself that he was getting closer to figuring out my, or rather, Fury's intentions.

Damn. "Shouldn't I be the one asking the questions? After all, you are a prisoner."

"True, but why would I answer anything that you ask of me?"

"Because I'm the only person you can confide in. Surely with so much to consider, one would think that you would go mad, well…madder than you already are, without someone to talk to," I answered him, shifting my gaze from the floor to him. I knew that I was only just beginning to break through to Loki; the expression on his face was the evidence for that.

"But how do I know I can trust you? After all, you are on the side of my brother, and therefore, against me."

I am not truly with them, I thought, making the mistake of letting my guard down. I immediately sensed that Loki had heard this thought and I scolded myself for removing the barrier I had placed on my mind. I instantly put it back up, hoping that he had not read any other part of my mind.

"Is that so?" Loki smirked at me, "You may be of some use to me then."

And then he did something I did not see coming. He knelt down beside me and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, his touch soft and oddly comforting. He was close enough so that I could feel his warm breath on my cheek. Oh he smelled _so_ good. No, stop it Freyja, I thought to myself. Snap out of it.

"You are an interesting creature. I find you most…intoxicating," Loki whispered in my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. Why was he acting like this? Maybe I had gotten through to him more than I had originally assumed.

I tried to move away but he gripped my shoulders tightly so that only one of a god's strength could break free, which is why I chose to do nothing. I looked into his emerald eyes, searching them for any clue as to what he was doing. They gave nothing away, which frustrated me. It was almost as if he was trying to block anyone from entering his mind.

I lifted my arm up as much as I could, just as someone would if they were trying to touch another person in a comforting way, and Loki's eyes immediately locked onto my arm. This gave the distraction I needed to jerk away from him quickly and push through the barriers of his mind. Though Loki had been my greatest friend on Asgard, I had never told him that I trained in the art of magic at the same level he did. I searched until I could locate his current thoughts.

_She's a clever one, but what is this girl hiding? I feel a strong sense of…something…I don't know what it could be. Perhaps if I tried to access her mind? I cannot do it the normal way…it seems like she is blocking me, but how is she doing that? I've never come across a mortal who could prevent the mind of another from accessing their own. This is just infuriating; maybe I should kill her now. No…that would not even begin to disentangle the complications that have already arisen in my plan. I could use someone like her, someone on the inside. Retrieving her thoughts is the best option, but there's only one way to do that if she is shielding them from me…and that means contact._

Contact? Oh no, no you don't. I could not let him touch me again. Once was quite enough, thank you very much. And then it clicked, by contact he meant…

_A kiss._

Loki's thought rang around the inside of my head and I barely had time to comprehend it as he leaned in towards me, his lips only inches from mine. He leaned in further, and I could feel the warmth of his breath once again, his lips were just about to graze mine when-

"What is going on here?"

**Hehehe now I'm teasing you ;) **


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed/followed/favourited this story; it means so much to me! This is the longest chapter I've written so far and I really hope you enjoy it.**

I jumped away from Loki, shocked at the thought of someone finding us in such close proximity to each other. I knew who the person was long before I turned my head around; how could I ever forget that irritating voice?

"Seriously? You're not in my presence for five minutes and-"

"More like two hours."

"Never mind that. I mean, of all the people you could have chosen, you chose Loki? The guy is crazy. He's a monster. I come to check up on you two and this is what I find."

"You came to check up on me? I had no idea you cared about me so much."

"I don't."

"Oh."

Loki just sat there, looking back and forth between Tony and me during our little argument. I was still listening in on what he was thinking, but only one thing caught my attention. It was when Tony said that Loki was a monster that I could hear him chuckle and disagree. I watched him out of the corner of my eye, wary of what his next move might be, but all he did was rise from his kneeling position and walk over to the other side of the cell, not taking his eyes off of me. I could sense his curiosity again, and I heard in his thoughts that he was surprised I had not agreed with Tony that he was crazy. I did not think he was mad, although I had stated that he was earlier, but more…confused. His intentions were crazy, but he himself was not. It seemed more likely that he was doing it out of anger and hatred, but I didn't have the knowledge of what or who caused him to feel like that.

"You better come with me, I'm sure Fury would like to hear about this," Tony said, motioning to me to follow him out of the cell, "and as for you, horn boy, I suggest you don't try that again."

I sighed and reluctantly did as I was told, walking silently behind Tony as we ventured out of Loki's cell and through various sections of the Helicarrier until we reached the room where Fury, Agent Coulson and the other Avengers were meeting. I lowered myself onto one of the chairs and folded my arms across my chest, wishing that the chair was slightly more comfortable so that I could feel as relaxed as possible with seven people staring at me.

"Stark, what happened?"

"Well, _Director_, it appears as if our little Freyja has been friendlier with Loki than we thought. She kissed him." Tony's statement ignited several cries of 'what?' around the room.

"I did not kiss him. He _tried_ to kiss me," I glared at Tony, my voice louder than usual. How dare he try to pin this on me!

"But you didn't try to stop him or anything. I should know 'cause I was there."

"I thought you wanted me to get close to him."

"Not that close."

"Enough! I can't stand your bickering any longer. This is the least of our problems right now. We must find out what Loki is planning to do. Freyja?" Fury exclaimed, and the whole room went very quiet.

"He wouldn't tell me what he's up to, but everything he said...I don't know…it sounded as if he was planning to not be in that cell for much longer. There was something else too," I replied.

"What was it?"

"When Tony said that he was a monster, I thought I heard him mutter something. It was along the lines of 'Oh no, you brought the monster'. It didn't make much sense to me, but it might to you."

No one said anything for several moments, and it was quite a shock to hear Agent Romanoff gasp and look straight at Dr. Banner.

"He was talking about you."

"You mean the other guy?" questioned Dr. Banner and she nodded, concern appearing on her face.

"Well this just made the situation a whole lot more complicated," Fury sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"Even more complicated, especially after what we found earlier," said Steve, saying something for the first time in the conversation and nodding in the direction of Tony.

"Yeah, Nick, we found a lot of interesting stuff out whilst Freyja was getting cosy with Loki."

"Tell us, why does S.H.I.E.L.D. really want the Tesseract?" Steve asked, but it was clear in his expression that he already knew the answer.

Fury looked between the two of them, but didn't say anything.

"Well shall I tell you?"

I had never seen Steve act like this before, and was curious to know exactly what S.H.I.E.L.D. was planning to do with the cube.

"Tell us," I prompted him.

"You're going to use the Tesseract to build weapons, and not just any weapons, but the most powerful ones you can imagine," Steve glowered at Fury.

"We need to talk about this," Tony uttered, a frown on his face. In the short amount of time that I had known him, I had not seen him look this serious.

"Yes we do," Fury replied, and a huge dispute began.

I decided that I didn't want to stay and hear them fight. I could tell that I wasn't really a part of their group, so the conversation didn't concern me at all. Though I had known this all along, it still hurt to realise that I didn't belong anywhere. I didn't belong with Fury and his so-called team, nor did I belong with Loki. I certainly didn't have a place on Asgard or my original home, Vanaheimr, anymore, and my sudden awareness of this upset me. So, I walked out of the room, knowing that they would not notice I had left.

I could hear them shouting all the way down the corridor, Fury reminding Tony and Steve that there were other dangers outside of Earth's atmosphere that could attack at any moment. He blamed this one on Thor, who was quite surprised to hear himself brought into it. Then, I heard Tony fighting back, saying something about how a nuclear deterrent always worked. The sarcasm in his voice was not condoned. I stopped listening after a while, appreciating the distraction that I could gain advantage of.

It was still quite light outside and I could feel that the darkness was fast approaching. I knew where I had to go now. I wanted answers from him. No, I needed them. I rushed towards his cell, where he was standing up, alert, and waiting for me.

"I knew you'd come back. Humans are far too predictable for their own good," Loki moved nearer to me, and once again, he was too close for comfort.

"Why the Hulk?"

Loki looked puzzled, unsure of how I knew what he was planning to do, but covered it well and said, "Aha, so you are more intelligent than S.H.I.E.L.D. gives you credit for. He is just what I need to make sure everything goes my way. I can't have everyone after me now, can I?"

"How do you know that everything will go your way? What if it doesn't?"

"Oh I have no doubts."

"If you say so," I answered, looking straight into his eyes. I gazed into them for a while longer, intrigued by the cerulean blue tinge that rimmed the green. I had never noticed that before.

"There's something else you came here to talk about," Loki uttered, disrupting my eye-gazing.

"You tried to kiss me."

"Yes."

"Is that all you have to say?"

"No, there's this too."

I narrowed my eyes, wondering what he was going to say, but before I could answer back, the Helicarrier started shuddering violently and I was falling. However, I never reached the floor, a strong pair of arms wrapping around me and pulling me upwards.

"What was that?" I rested my hands on Loki's arms, which were still enveloping me in a firm grasp, and observed the cell door, wondering if I should just get out of there.

"That was things going my way," Loki grinned and loosened his grip on me.

I could hear panicked shouts, people rushing around outside the compartment, and then I heard a roar, which I could only assume was what Dr. Banner called 'the other guy'. The trembling of the Helicarrier had felt very powerful, and I wondered for a moment how much damage had been done. I averted my eyes from the corridor outside the cell and found myself looking at Loki again.

"Join me," he whispered, stroking the side of my face with his index finger and stopping at the corner of my mouth. He then continued down my neck, feeling my pulse.

"Why would I ever join you?" My heart was beating faster than usual and I was unsure of whether Loki knew that his touches were the cause of that.

"You have a gift, I can sense it. You don't belong here with them; they don't appreciate you even after all you have done. I can give you a purpose."

Loki's offer was tempting me more than anything has ever tempted me on this planet, and my heart was screaming at my head to take him up on it. My mind was having none of it though and I shook my head sadly.

"I can't betray them like that. It's not right," I replied, looking down, "I may not be with them…but I'm not with you either."

Loki stared at me, his face expressionless, but I could tell that inside, he was fuming. His eyes then darted towards the door and narrowed, evidently displeased of something. It was not long until Thor came into sight, shouting at me to get out. I nodded, typing in the code and pressing my thumb on the screen once again, quite relieved to part from Loki as I stepped out of the cell.

"No!" Thor shouted, and I whipped around to see what he was shouting at.

I saw Loki walking out of the cell, as calm as anything. Thor rushed towards him, and I cursed myself for not closing it as soon as I had left it. Loki disappeared for a second, Thor sprinting straight through him and into the cell, and then the door shut.

"I wonder what would happen if I pressed this," Loki said, gesturing towards a large button on a panel next to the cell.

"Don't!" I cried, moving forward to stop Loki, but someone got there first.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." It was Agent Coulson.

I already knew what was going to happen before it did. I had never had control over the prophecies that I experienced, and as a child they had always frightened me, but what occurred next was so sudden that I did not have enough time to react.

Loki vanished and reappeared behind Agent Coulson, perforating his back with a spear that he seemed to conjure out of nowhere. Phil dropped to his knees, blood leaking out from his injury and pooling onto the floor. His face, once flushed and alive, grew gradually paler, his mouth opening and closing but nothing could be heard. I tried to reach him, but Loki appeared in front of me and knocked me backwards. He then proceeded to press the button, plunging the cell with Thor inside of it towards the ground.

"_That_ is what happens when you cross me."

Loki stalked towards me, his hand stretched out, and I deliberated about whether I should reveal who I was to defend myself. However, instead of hitting me, he took my hand and lifted me off the ground.

"My offer still stands," Loki proclaimed, and then he kissed me.

I didn't know what was happening for a moment, and so I stood there, frozen. I could feel his soft lips moving against mine, willing me to respond. It wasn't long until I completely gave in, knowing that it would cause me more trouble to fight against him, and so I closed my eyes, being careful to block any attempts he might make to invade my mind. He pulled me in closer, wrapping his arms around my waist, urging me to lean against his chest. I did so unwillingly, but I did not break away from him. A few moments later, he pulled away, giving me one last gentle kiss, and then disappeared.


	8. Chapter 8

**Loki's P.O.V.**

I pressed my lips to hers, trying to accomplish what I had attempted earlier that day, but still, there was nothing. I could not see into her mind. Eventually, her lips began to move against mine, and I responded my slipping my hands round her small waist, feeling her shiver slightly as I implored her to rest against me. I couldn't deny the creeping sensation inside of me that was telling me that I felt something for her. She was captivating, her beauty subtle but strangely unparalleled. At first, I had thought her plain, but as I spent more time in her presence, I began to view her differently. But what would that change? Soon, I would be ruling over her petty little world, and she, along with every other human, would be kneeling down before me. I parted from her, kissing her one more time as a goodbye, and left. She was weak, what abilities she did possess were unexceptional; I had no reason to fear her.

* * *

**Freyja's P.O.V.**

I didn't move for several minutes after Loki had left. I had always dreamed of Loki kissing me, but now that it had happened, I wasn't sure what to think or how to feel. I lifted my fingers to my lips, intrigued by the tingling feeling that I had never felt before. It took me a while to realise that the kiss had meant my plan may be working after all. It was possible that Loki was growing attached to me, and if that was the case, then maybe I would be able to take his power, just like he took mine, and procure the revenge that I had longed for. I knew that in order to succeed further, I would have to play for both sides.

I made my way out of Loki's previous residence, noticing that night had fallen, which triggered an overwhelming sense of exhaustion. If I wanted to defeat Loki, then I would not be able to rest, as hard as it may be to stay awake. But the fatigue was causing me to think strangely, and I thought back to something that I had tried to forget. It had been a long time since I lost the person closest to me, Freyr. I never believed that you could get much closer than a twin, and it was shattering when the news of his death was brought to me. That, alongside Loki's betrayal, caused me to leave Asgard. I could not stay there any longer with so many painful memories.

These thoughts continued to be at the forefront of my mind as I crept my way through the Helicarrier, noting the state of disarray that Loki's attack had caused. There were people rushing everywhere, stumbling over various pieces of debris and burst pipes that were emerging from the floor and the ceiling. I didn't know what had gone on exactly, but that didn't matter. I needed to find out where the Avengers were, and what they were planning to do. Then, a little visit to my former friend was in order.

I decided it was best to check on the area that the Avengers had gathered in earlier, which was the most likely place for them to convene since it overlooked the control centre of the Helicarrier. I edged carefully along the corridor, and came to a halt just outside the room, my back pressed against the wall to avoid being noticed.

"We lost someone today," I heard Fury say, his sorrow clear in his voice; "Thor and Banner are missing. We may have got Agent Barton back, but we're dead in the air up here. No communications and we don't have the location of the cube."

No one replied, and I could feel that the atmosphere was becoming heavy and ominous. They were on the edge of despair and they had little left to play with.

"Yes, we were planning to use the Tesseract to build an arsenal, but only as a last resort. I hoped that this team, the Avengers, would be enough."

"What are we going to do now?" Agent Romanoff enquired quietly, and I could see that she was far from stable. Her usually immaculate hairstyle was dishevelled and there were small purple bruises blossoming on her skin.

"The Avengers are just going to have to be enough." Fury's eyes fell to the ground and for a moment, I felt sorry for him.

I had heard all that I needed to, so it was time to find out what Loki was up to as well. The best chance I had of locating him was to use magic, even though there was a chance that he would sense it. I closed my eyes, willing my mind to establish a link with Loki's. It didn't take me long to see where he was hiding, but it confused me as to why he would choose there of all places. Surely Loki knew that Tony would go to check up on Stark Tower at some point…or maybe that's just what he was counting on.

The only way that I was going to get into Stark Tower was by using more magic, which would in turn risk Loki discovering I was there. However, I figured it was safer that way than to just walk in, which practically shouted 'Hey I'm over here, come get me!'. Of course, I could use an invisibility spell, but that was physically draining, and I was saving the energy that I had for a later purpose. All I hoped was that I didn't end up right in front of Loki. That would be awkward for the both of us.

I closed my eyes once again and concentrated on the place I wanted to be, finding it more difficult than it would be if I had been practising daily since I arrived on Earth. Eventually, though, I felt a shift in my surroundings and I found myself in a vacant area in Stark Tower that was overlooking the dazzling lights of New York through an entirely glass wall. I had only recognised Stark Tower because of when Tony was talking about himself, which was pretty much always. However, I could see what he meant by it being a truly magnificent building.

I could sense that Loki was not far away, but it was hard to pinpoint exactly where he was because he was constantly moving. It did not matter though, for it was only a matter of seconds before he appeared, the darkness shielding his face from me. I could just see another figure, but I wasn't able to work out who it could be. I stepped backwards into the shadows, and listened in on their conversation.

"Fury's puppets are scattered and the Earth is within my grasp. I can almost taste victory," I heard Loki declare, and I could picture him smirking.

"It won't be long now until they're kneeling before you."

I froze, my heart thumping against my chest as if it was struggling to get out. I knew that voice. It was a voice I had not heard in a long time, but it couldn't be. It was impossible, and yet, there was no mistaking who the voice belonged to. It belonged to my brother.


	9. Chapter 9

**So sorry for the long wait between chapters. This one was strangely difficult to write, but I got there in the end! Thank you so much for reading this story.**

I could not move; my body was rigid with shock and disbelief, but my mind was spinning. It was as if they had become separate parts. Every instinct I had was crying at me to leave and forget what I had heard, but I stood rooted to the spot and continued to listen.

"You are right. The Chitauri will come, and there will be no one to stop me from ruling this realm," Loki strode over to the glass wall, studying a part of the world which would soon be under his command.

I could see the other figure, my brother, nod dutifully like he was hanging on his every word and say, "I am deeply honoured to serve you, and I will be eternally in your debt. You showed me the truth about so many things. I thought I knew everything before, but you and the Tesseract have opened my eyes."

He did not sound like my brother at all. Freyr would never say that, not to anyone because he didn't need to, being a ruler of the Vanir like myself. Even so, the voice of the figure was identical. It was soft and lilting, but at the same time, there was a feeling of strength and power in his tone; I couldn't quite describe it, it was so unusual.

"I am glad to have you by my side." Loki turned towards him and I could just make out that his eyes were narrowing, "Leave me now, you have much to prepare."

Freyr bowed his head and walked out of the room, Loki turning back to the glass. I longed to go after him, but I was still stiff from the shock. My mind had ceased its spinning and had become more focused, so I tried to control my breathing and concentrated on leaving Stark Tower. To avoid Loki's detection of my magic, I decided to transport myself back onto the Helicarrier in another area of the tower. I moved carefully out of the shadows and attempted at making myself invisible, immediately experiencing weakness from the physical and mental exertion that was required in order to be successful. As soon as I was confident that it had worked properly, I began to tiptoe to the door, holding my breath as I did.

A sigh of relief escaped my lips as I reached the door and I allowed myself to breathe properly again, for I was further away from Loki meaning that it was less likely that he would be able to hear my laboured breathing. I was preparing myself for the next step when I felt a hand snake around my neck and grasp it firmly, pressing down on my throat. I could feel my concealed body being stripped of its invisibility, leaving me exposed. My mind was in a state of confusion as I felt myself being dragged across the floor and then violently slammed into the wall, my head knocking against it. The minor blow to my head blurred my vision for several moments, but as I looked up, it gradually returned and I was staring straight into a pair of maddened eyes.

"Did you really think I was foolish enough to not sense you here? It appears I underestimated your talents a little." Loki leaned in closer, his face close enough to mine so that I could feel his warm breath tickling my cheeks.

I was unable to reply for his hand was still clasped around my throat, making it difficult for me to inhale and exhale normally, let alone speak. He did not seem to mind this though, and didn't remove his fingers from my neck. With his face so near to mine, I was thankful that my appearance was still quite different.

"I'm sure Fury would be pleased to hear about your…gift," he smirked, not realising that his grip was slowly causing me to slip into unconsciousness.

"Let…go," were the only words I managed to get out before everything went dark. In the last few moments, I could see Loki's face twist into one of surprise at what he had done.

* * *

My eyes fluttered open, taking a minute to adjust to my surroundings. Darkness still enveloped the city of New York, and the usual sounds of traffic could be heard through the glass pane. I lifted my hand up to my neck, and tentatively touched the places where Loki's fingers had been. They were sore and slightly swollen, but were nothing compared to the feeling of disorientation that I was suffering from. I drifted in and out of consciousness for a while, before finally falling asleep, allowing the darkness to surround me once again. My mind locked on to another memory that I had thought I'd forgotten.

_I lay back on the soft grass, a sensation of peace oozing through my body as I soaked up the warmth of the Sun's golden rays. My auburn hair had turned to an ochre colour in the light, and it was splayed over a patch of meadow in a tangled mess. I had always loved the summer in Asgard for it was warmer than my home realm and always seemed to fill the people with joy and contentment. Loki sat beside me, his arms wrapped around his knees, staring off into the distance. His pale skin was entrancing when in contrast to the black hair that was so unlike his brother's. My eyes traced his face, only stopping when he turned to look at me._

"_Why were you staring at me?" Loki enquired, tilting his head to the side._

"_Because it annoys you so," I grinned at him and lifted myself off the ground into a sitting position._

"_Do you ever tire of trying to annoy me?" He smiled back at me and I responded with a chuckle._

"_I'm afraid I will be here for an eternity, just to annoy you."_

"_Oh I look forward to it," Loki rose, offering me his hand, which I took without a second thought, and led me around the meadow. _

_It was the one place that didn't require us to behave like royalty. We didn't have to listen to anybody, or do as we were told. We could just be ourselves, even if it was only for a little while, and that was what made the meadow most special. In the summer, it was home to an array of spectacularly bright flowers that were dotted amongst tufts of fragrant grass. In the winter, the snow settled, glistening as the sunlight danced off the frozen water droplets as if they were diamonds. I loved all the seasons in Asgard, spending the majority of my time there as I had to work with Odin and help him select the most worthy of warriors for our armies. I had not chosen to have this particular role, but after the war between our people, it was important that I aided the All-Father in keeping peace amongst the realms. I had once tried to tell Loki how vital my job was, but he just laughed at me. Some friend he was._

_I freed my hand from Loki's and stepped away from him, walking across to a small body of water, its surface shimmering under the Sun. I looked back at Loki, seeing him frown and begin his way over to me, but I turned my head back towards the lake in embarrassment. I knew this was the perfect time to tell him how I felt, but I was strangely nervous even though we were close and I could tell him anything. Well, almost anything._

"_What is it?" Loki asked, wearing a concerned expression._

"_I-I really don't know how to say what I'm about to tell you."_

"_And I thought that you always had a way with words."_

"_Please don't mock me, Loki," I replied, my eyes locking with his, and suddenly, all the feelings of anxiety disappeared. _

"_Okay," he said softly, but his expression was still one of concern._

"_We've been friends for a long time, and I hope that we continue to be, but the problem is that…" Loki frowned again, not sure of where I was heading, "Well the problem is that I…lo-"_

"_Loki! There you are," a simpering voice came from the other side of the meadow._

_I groaned. It was her. It had to be her who ruined it all. The one with the perfect everything. Perfect body, perfect face, perfect hair. I looked back at Loki, and could see he was charmed by her as he strolled over to meet her._

"_Lady Kara," Loki dipped his head in respect and smiled at her, clearly besotted._

_Lady Kara was the daughter of a very noble man, and her family was dear to Loki's, considering that her father was a war hero in the battle between the Aesir and my people, the Vanir. I had often seen her wondering around the palace in a flirtatious manner. Kara's appearance was consistently immaculate, and I had often found myself staring after her in awe as she passed by. She had everything, so why couldn't I just have one thing to myself. Why did she have to have Loki too?_

"_My Prince, I was hoping that you would escort me to tonight's formal occasion. I do not wish to go alone, you see," Lady Kara beamed at him, a sugary sweet tone to her voice._

"_Of course. I would be honoured," Loki took her hand and kissed it, ignoring my presence completely._

_My heart sunk, drifting somewhere to my stomach, making it churn uncomfortably, and my eyes started to glaze over with tears. There was a slight pinching feeling in my chest and I had to restrain myself from intervening. I had been under the assumption that Loki would be taking me, for he always did at special occasions. But now, he was abandoning me for her._

"_Excellent. Perhaps we could walk up to the palace together," Kara peered round Loki at me," unless you're already preoccupied."_

_Loki turned towards me briefly, a pleading look on his face, but I shifted my gaze to the ground to avoid him noticing the tears rolling down my cheeks._

"_Yes, let's walk up together." _

_Lady Kara placed a hand on his arm, and they began the short walk up to the palace. I watched them miserably, envious of the laughs that they were sharing. I faced the lake again, observing the ripples that occurred on the water surface as a light breeze brushed over the meadow. I allowed the tears to continue forming, not bothering to wipe them away. I was so close to telling Loki the truth about my feelings for him, but perhaps it just wasn't to be._

I woke up with a start, beads of sweat dribbling down my face as they had done the previous time I had had a memory resurface. I ran my tongue over my dry lips, surprised to have a salty taste enter my mouth. I had been crying. I put several fingers to my cheeks, discovering that they were damp, and then moved my fingers back down to my throat, rubbing at the sore areas.

The midnight sky had transformed into a powder blue colour, and the Sun was already at a point in the sky that suggested it was mid-morning. The familiar noises of the bustling city below were unusually comforting, bringing me back to reality. The memory had been unpleasant; it was another reminder of how much Loki had changed. It made me despise him even more now that I had remembered how he left me there without a second thought, and I was even more determined to cause Loki to hurt more than he had ever hurt before. Even though I was sure of how I wanted him to suffer, I could not shake the feeling that I was in love with him more than ever.


	10. Chapter 10

**Used some of the Avengers' dialogue in this bit, purely so that the chapter flows better, but it will be the only bit I use directly from the film. Went to see Iron Man 3 the other day and it was soooo good. I thoroughly recommend you go see it as soon as you can! **

* * *

Loki stalked towards me, his expression unreadable, and beckoned to me to rise. I glared back at him, shaking my head furiously. As weak as I felt at that moment, I wasn't about to let him order me around like his personal servant, and yet, I had this strange urge to lift myself up and take him into my arms. I shook my head at the thought. No, Freyja, you're not going to let Loki win this one.

"I have ways of forcing you to get up, but I'm sure you'd rather not experience them," Loki growled at me, motioning once again for me to rise from the floor.

"I'm interested to know what these ways are," I managed to choke out, not breaking eye contact with him.

"I refuse to waste precious time arguing with you. Now, get up or I will make you."

I sighed, not wanting to make the situation for myself more dangerous than it already was.

"Fine. But I demand that you tell me why I have become your prisoner."

"You are in no place to make demands, mortal," Loki retorted sharply, and lifted me off the ground by my arm.

I snatched it away quickly and followed him as he took to the stairs, only just noticing that he was wearing a floor length cloak the colour of emerald and that it was a perfect match to his eyes. I had seen him wear a similar garment back on Asgard many times, it being a symbol of royalty and respect, but now it reeked of fear and power, especially when coupled with a horned golden helmet which I had seen him wear on many occasions. After acknowledging his attire, I also noticed that in one hand he carried a long sceptre. At one end it extended round, encircling an alluring azure gemstone, similar to that blue cube Fury had been talking about. It was almost hypnotising, and as I stared at it, my feelings towards doing what Loki wanted me to do intensified.

Loki stopped when we had reached another room in Stark Tower. It rose even higher above New York City, and looked almost the same as the room that I had previously been imprisoned in, apart from the fact that this had a miniature bar on one side. He led me through the room and whilst gripping my shoulders, pushed me down on to a cream coloured sofa. Loki then proceeded to tie my hands together with an invisible chain. It was powerful magic, and if I had my strength back, I would be able to break them. Unfortunately, I had to endure the feeling of weakness for a while longer.

"Is this really necessary?" I asked, tilting my head towards the invisible chains.

"I can't risk you escaping now, can I?" Loki smirked, tipping his head close to mine so that our foreheads were almost touching.

I didn't answer him, instead entirely focused on resisting the impulse to grab him by the hair and press my lips to his. I bit down on my lip, ignoring the pain as my teeth pierced the skin. It was the only thing to stop me from giving in completely. That and my burning hatred for him.

"It may be best if you stay hidden for a while," Loki glanced over to the city and then placed his gaze back on me, "I have business to attend to."

Loki waved a hand over me and I felt a cool sensation trickling over my body. It didn't take long for me to realise that he was using the same invisibility spell that I had used on myself earlier. I didn't know whether to be furious that he had so much physical strength to be able to perform it with ease, or thankful that at least no one would be able to see me in such a state. He then cast his cloak and helmet aside with a look of irritation on his face. Perhaps they weren't as comfortable to wear as he used to let on.

I saw Loki leave me and wander over to the glass, as if he was waiting for someone. Soon enough, my suspicions were confirmed as a blur of red and gold came whizzing through the sky at an ungodly speed and landed on a ledge that was connected to the room from the outside. My favourite person had arrived.

I watched as Tony Stark shed himself of the suit using a peculiar device that seemed to have come from the ledge itself. He looked his usual self, although there were traces of fatigue around his normally bright eyes, and there was a small bruise on his left cheek. The threat of Loki taking over his beloved world had obviously taken its toll on Tony, and I found myself pitying him…but only slightly.

"Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity," Loki's eyes fixed on Tony as he entered the room through an opening in the glass wall and made his way to the bar.

"Hmm. Actually, I'm planning to threaten you."

"You should have left your armour on for that," said Loki, pointing his sceptre towards Tony, who agreed with him.

"Yeah. It's seen a bit of mileage and you've got the glow stick of destiny."

I saw Loki smile at this, clearly pleased with himself that he had acquired such a magnificent staff. The smug look on his face was enough to make anyone want to slap him.

"Would you like a drink?"

Typical. Only Tony would offer the most threatening man on the planet a drink before an important battle.

"Stalling me won't change anything."

"No, no. Threatening. No drink? Are you sure? I'm having one."

Loki paid little attention to Tony's words, deciding instead that the view outside the window was more interesting, but it was clear that he was trying to hide the unease on his features. I could sense that he was concerned about something. Perhaps the realisation that he could possibly fail had dawned on him.

"The Chitauri are coming," he growled, walking closer to the window pane, "Nothing will change that."

The unease on his face suddenly disappeared, becoming ice cold and superior.

"What have I to fear?"

"The Avengers," Tony replied, and smirking slightly.

At this, Loki's expression twisted into one of confusion, his brows furrowing. I shifted uncomfortably on the sofa, the chains that looped around my wrists were rubbing and I could feel that they were beginning to slice into the skin, blood trickling down them and onto my knees.

"That's what we call ourselves. We're sort of like a team. 'Earth's mightiest hero's' type thing."

"Yes, I've met them," Loki was smiling now, almost as amused at Tony's statement as I was.

"Yeah. It takes us a while to get any traction; I'll give you that one. But let's do a head count here. Your brother, the demigod," Loki scowled at this, but let Tony continue, "A super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend. A man with breath-taking anger management issues, a couple of master assassins, and you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them."

"That was the plan."

"Not a great plan," Tony stated, taking a big gulp of alcohol, "When they come, and they will, they'll come for you."

"I have an army."

"We have a Hulk."

"Oh I thought the beast had wandered off," Loki replied as Tony strolled towards him.

"You're missing the point. There is no throne. There is no version of this where you come out on top."

No, I thought to myself. There definitely would not be a version where Loki came out on top. But there would be a version where someone else would, and it certainly was not the Avengers.

"Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damn well sure we'll avenge it."

Loki's eyes narrowed, something that was becoming a regular occurrence for him, and strode forward, getting even closer to Tony.

"How will your friends have time for me when they are so busy fighting you?"

Loki brought his sceptre up and rested it on his chest, directly in line with Tony's heart. There was a small clunking sound as the sceptre hit a metallic material. Something had obviously gone wrong, and Loki repeated the action.

"This usually works," he muttered.

"Well, performance issues, it's not uncommon. One out of five-"

Tony did not get to finish his sentence as Loki's hand shot up to his throat and threw him across the room. He landed roughly on the stone floor, but appeared to be unhurt as he lifted himself off the ground, mumbling words I could not comprehend. But Loki was not finished with him. He grabbed Tony by the chin this time.

"You will all fall before me," Loki spat.

"Deploy," Tony managed to choke out just before he was thrown through the glass.

I watched in horror as the glass shattered and Tony was sent plummeting to the city below. It angered me that I was unable to move, and even though Tony and I weren't exactly fond of each other, I had never wished that upon him. I was even more shocked when something shot out of nowhere and hurtled out of the broken window. Loki turned his head towards where I was sitting, looking as confused as I was.

"And there's one other person you pissed off," announced a familiar voice.

Tony had appeared suddenly, hovering outside in the Iron Man suit that encased his body protectively. I'd never admit it in front of him, but he was one hell of a genius.

"His name was Phil."

Loki sneered, raising his sceptre, an iridescent blue glow radiating from it, and pointed it towards Tony. However, he was not quick enough, being blasted backwards from a ray of energy that fired from Tony's palm. At the same time, there was a deafening whirring sound that came from the top of the tower, causing Tony to look up in what could have been alarm, and disappear quickly after. Loki remained on the ground, struggling to recover from the force of the blow. I needed him to recuperate if I was going to get out of the chains.

"Loki," I hissed at him, "Get up!"

A feeling of light-headedness had descended upon me once more. I had not fully noticed that the metal shackles around my wrists were cutting in deeper than I presumed, and as I gazed at them, I realised that the blood was no longer trickling down my wrists, but flowing out steadily. Though I had experienced many sightings of blood on the battlefield, I could never stand the thought of my own. As soon as I saw the dark liquid beginning to pool in my lap, I felt my stomach turn, and prayed that I would not fall unconscious again. Unfortunately, it was as if the gods had heard my prayer and had just laughed. The darkness enveloped me yet again, and I hoped that I would not have to experience another painful memory of the past. But of course, my wishes never came true.


	11. Chapter 11

"_How could you?" I screamed at his back._

_He turned around to face me, his expression innocent and childlike as if he did not know what I meant. But I knew. I knew full well what he had done._

"_How could you, Loki?" I repeated, this time a little quieter, my voice desperate and hurt._

"_I do not have the slightest idea as to what you are referring," Loki said calmly, enraging me further at his composure given the situation._

"_Do not lie to me. You know what you did."_

"_Enlighten me."_

_Anger was swelling up inside of me, and I was putting everything I had into keeping my powers at bay. I had never told anyone of the dark energy that resided inside of me, choosing only to use the lighter part. Dark energy was forbidden on Asgard; it was frowned upon. You were cast out if it was discovered that you had the potential to do great evil and well as be a force for the good side. _

"_My cloak. The one which allows me to travel between the realms. You stole it," I growled at him, each word laced with loathing._

_He raised an eyebrow at me, but the slight twitch of his lips gave him away._

"_You know what will happen to me if Odin finds out that I no longer have it. He will think I have broken the treaty between the Vanir and your people. He will think I am neglecting my duties. I will be cast out…do you not care at all?" _

_My voice was becoming hoarse from the shouting, and I was desperate for Loki to respond to what I was saying, but he remained calm, just like before. I glared at him, searching for the answers I sought in his emerald eyes. The silence between us was fraught with tension and ferocity, and Loki's face was emotionless._

"_Of course I care," he managed to say eventually. "But I did it for a reason. It is simply that my needs are greater than yours."_

_I shook my head at this. Where was the Loki I knew and loved? Whoever had replaced him was callous and distant, and I could see that the light that once sparkled so brightly in his eyes was fading. _

"_You would destroy me for your own selfish gain? Please tell me that this is just another of your mischievous games, Loki."_

_He smiled at me, but it was absent of warmth and care. Only a few weeks ago, we had been laughing in the meadow together, walking hand in hand. But things had gradually begun to change since that day. I had been oblivious to it at first, thinking that Loki was just distracted by something. For all I knew, it was probably that Lady Kara. As the days went by, however, he would be secretive and reserved, choosing only to speak to me when he needed my assistance with something. I had tried many times to enter his mind, but the barriers he constructed were too strong, and I could not see that which had begun to shroud his personality in darkness._

"_As much as I would love to answer all of your queries, I do have more important things to attend to," Loki stated, and he turned, striding away from me._

_I stood there for a moment in shock. He had just diminished me to no more than a nuisance, my questions inconsequential. How could he think himself so far above me?_

"_Loki!" I cried out, walking hurriedly after him._

_I saw him sigh deeply and twist round to face me, only to be knocked the other way when my hand struck his cheek. The usual paleness of his skin became tainted with a red hue and I could see a glint of fury in his eyes. The initial shock of the slap allowed me time to hurry away quickly, promising myself that I'd never shed a tear for that man again._

When the memory finally subsided, allowing me to regain consciousness and letting the light surround me, I felt different than I had before falling asleep. Somehow, the weakness that had kept a hold on me had dissipated, and replacing it, was a feeling of strength and determination. The memory had triggered something deep inside of me. It had reminded me of why I was filled with such hatred when in Loki's company. It had shown me of the fury that I could have for a person. It had ignited the fire within me; the power I possessed. Both light…and dark.


	12. Chapter 12

My eyes flickered down to the area where Loki had fallen after being shot by Tony, and it did not surprise me to discover that he was no longer there. Despite being injured, Loki was a god, and his pain threshold was far above the humans that he appeared to despise so intensely. That thought reminded me of my own ability to withstand pain, the ability that had faded with the weakness my body had felt earlier. I glanced down at my arms to see the deep lacerations that the chains had caused, and the dried ruby liquid that had spilled out of them. The sight was sickening, and I could feel the power stirring up within in me. I had had enough of these stupid pieces of metal that bound me so tightly. It was time to rid myself of them. With a surge of my new found determination and fury, I broke the magic that weaved through the chains, finding myself to be free of them at last.

I lifted myself off the sofa with an air of elegance and authority that I had not felt in a long time. Wondering if Loki's invisibility spell had been relinquished when he had been injured, I stepped over to the glass windows to see if I had a reflection. Thankfully, my wonderings had been correct, and the woman who stared back at me smiled when I did. I immediately noticed a difference in my appearance. I looked taller, more regal, with a grace that had long been forgotten. My face was slightly smoother, and from what I could see, it was now a creamy pearl colour, my cheeks blushed with a rose pink. I also noticed that I was still wearing the clothes that S.H.I.E.L.D. had provided me with in my quarters, and they were no longer suitable.

I concentrated on my clothes, attempting to remember the most basic of magical skills that I had been taught at a young age, and pictured the attire that I wished to wear. It took longer than I had expected, but perhaps that was because I had not used this particular spell in many years. Eventually, the clothes transformed, leaving me standing in armour of black and gold. The feeling of the clothes was strangely comforting, as if my body had been specially made to wear armour. I had truly become the Goddess of War once again; a title, which was only recognised in times of battle. This was one of those times.

Several strange sounds brought me back to reality, and for the first time, I realised what was happening outside. There were hundreds of strange creatures on peculiar means of transport, soaring through the air, with more constantly appearing out of nowhere. It took me a while to notice the line of blue energy that struck the sky, pooling out into a large wormhole that was a gateway into the depths of space. Down below in the streets, I could make out several figures fighting against the creatures, but they were terribly outnumbered. The Avengers were defending their planet. The battle had begun.


	13. Chapter 13

Witnessing the beginning of a great battle was something I had had the unfortunate pleasure of many times during my life on Vanaheimr and Asgard. It was my duty to attend all of those perilous occasions and keep strong for the people. Not once could I turn my head to look away. But now, observing the lost heroes engaging in war with Loki's growing army, I realised that I had a choice. I could either fight with them against Loki, claiming his honour as my own, or I could watch from a distance, waiting in the shadows until victory was won. Either way, Loki would get his comeuppance. I just needed to decide whether what I truly wanted was to play a part in it or not.

As I was pacing around the room, deliberating which path I should choose, it hit me that if Loki was going to be cruelly defeated, I wanted it to be at my hand. After all, I wasn't going to let the Avengers have all the fun, was I? I smirked at the thought of Loki's face when he finally knew who I was. What a sight that would be. This thought excited me, surrounding my figure in an aura of anticipation. The feeling of exhilaration that crept through me was enough to make anyone leap straight into battle, but I kept calm, breathing deeply to relax my body. The Freyja that I was some days ago, when Fury and the Avengers had first requested that I acquaint myself with the Norse god, had disappeared, and in her place was a new, and hopefully more powerful Freyja.

I looked down at the city once again, summoning the force inside of me so that I could transport myself out of the wretched place that had been my prison. Deep down, I knew that I was terrified and barely confident in the power I possessed, but I could not show it. I would not allow myself to be weak in front of anyone ever again.

"I can do this," I whispered to myself, focusing on channelling the positivity, "I can. I know I can."

I closed my eyes, and within a moment or so, I found myself in the midst of turmoil. The road I had landed on, which ran directly in front of Stark Tower, had been turned inside out. Chunks of concrete had been ploughed from the ground and upturned, scattering all over the street in a path of disarray. Cars had been crumpled and flipped onto their roofs, and shards of glass from broken shop windows had been dispersed everywhere. New York was a mess.

Stepping over a mass of concrete, I kept to the sides of the street in order to not be discovered by the Avengers, even if it was possible that they would not recognise me, for the use of my magic had returned my appearance back to what it once was, or close to it anyway. It was an appearance which they had yet to see. Still, it was better to be on the safe side, I thought as I walked along. Suddenly, a monstrous creature appeared up ahead and caught sight of me. I, lost in my thoughts, was slow to react as it charged in my direction. For a moment I froze, not knowing what to do or how to defend myself. It had been a long time since I was this involved in a battle. As the creature continued to get closer and closer, I flung my arm up, praying that I could conduct some energy towards my target. I scrunched my eyes up, concentrating entirely on the magic that was coursing through my veins. Hearing a large thump, I gradually let my eyes open and allowed light to enter them. The creature, which I assumed must have been one of the Chitauri that Loki had mentioned, had fallen a few feet from me. I sighed in relief that my powers had not betrayed me in my time of need, but I knew that it was far from over.

As I carried on, I noticed that up ahead, the Avengers were fighting against the Chitauri. I had seen them earlier, struggling and outnumbered, but I did not realise that amongst them was Thor. I was relieved to see that he had survived Loki's temper tantrum which had resulted in him being hurled to the ground from the Helicarrier. Dr Banner, however, was nowhere to be seen. I did not allow this to distract me though, and as another one of the Chitauri came my way, I was prepared.

The beast raised its arm, a spear-like instrument in its hand, and went to strike me. I darted out of the way and conjuring a dagger, proceeded to stab its side. The monster let out a moan and dropped to the ground, a sticky substance, which I presumed was blood, leaking out of the wound. I decided to end its misery, and brought the dagger down again into a place where I knew he would not survive.

Seconds later, a further three creatures were doing the same. This time, however, it appeared that they wanted to fight hand-to-hand. I groaned. Hand-to-hand combat was not my strong point. Give me a sword or a bow and I would happily go into combat, but leave me with my fists and legs as weapons and I always managed to end up on my back, sighing in defeat. The three Chitauri were faster that I gave them credit for, and I soon found myself being hit in the stomach and flying backwards onto a pile of shattered glass.

Thankfully, the fragments of glass did not pierce my armour, but the force of the fall had shaken me somewhat. With as much strength as I could muster, I got up, staggering slightly. The Avengers had not caught sight of me; they were too wrapped up in their own fighting to notice. I shook some of the fragments out of my hair, picking out any that I had not managed to get rid of. As I did this, I noticed that my hair had grown longer and more undulating. My fingers went to my face, stroking my cheekbones which had become more prominent. Glancing at a building where the windows had not yet been broken, I realised that my true self had been revealed entirely. I could no longer hide from Loki. One look at me, and he would know exactly who I was. If he saw me too soon, then my entire plan would be ruined.

I looked back to the Chitauri who had attacked me and with a burst of power, threw them out of my way and checked that no one had seen me do so. Hearing the sound of an object soaring through the sky, I squinted upwards to see Tony in his Iron Man suit. He touched down beside the rest of the Avengers, who were still struggling to gain advantage over Loki's army. I heard a large roar behind me and quickly turned around to see a swarm of Chitauri flying in the direction of myself and the Avengers. As soon as I saw them I knew that without the use of dark energy, I could not hope to defeat them all by myself. I glanced back to see Fury's team in shock at the sheer number of them, and without thinking, I rushed towards them.

They did not notice me running through the rubble in their direction, and only did when I screamed at them.

"Go! Get away from here! Just run!"

Their eyes all locked with mine, with the exception of Thor, who was searching the skies, and their faces contorted with confusion at the sudden appearance of a stranger telling them what to do.

"And you are?" asked Tony.

"It doesn't matter, but what will matter is that in a few seconds you are all going to be in a lot of trouble," I answered, pointing towards the Chitauri.

"I think we can handle them, sweetheart," Tony said in a mocking voice which made me scowl.

Even when he did not recognise me, he was rude and arrogant.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I have a question. Why are you dressed like that?" Steve interposed, motioning towards my armour.

Thor turned to look, raising his eyebrows at my obvious Asgardian getup. As his eyes found my face, he frowned at the familiarity of it, but could not quite place who I was.

"Come to think of it, you do seem a bit familiar. Have we met?" Tony questioned, folding his metal arms.

All of the Avengers were staring at me now, their brows furrowed in thought. I wondered whether I should just save them the trouble and tell them, but it amused me to see them try to figure it out. I could hear the Chitauri getting closer, and one by one the Avengers shifted back into the present moment and realised the danger that was heading straight for them.

In the centre of the swarm, I spotted a figure that I was well acquainted with. My brother stood tall and proud on one of their strange flying machines and smiled at all the destruction that had been caused. How he could enjoy this sight of demolition on a planet we had both been fond of since childhood I did not know. Whatever Loki had done to him, he was going to pay for it.

The Chitauri raised their spears, and blue energy shot out of each one of them, causing a considerable explosion that blasted us backwards onto the solid ground. The dust cloud from the concrete was swirling around us, limiting the visibility of the group of creatures, and I could hear several people choking. I twisted my body to see what had happened to the others, hoping that they had not been injured too badly.

"Well, we weren't expecting that," I saw Agent Romanoff say as her arm was grabbed by Steve and she was lifted off the ground.

I was a little surprised that she had not been able to get herself up, but then I noticed that she was limping as she ambled over to the rest of the group, who were already up and observing the damage.

My eyes found Thor's, and he narrowed his, speaking up.

"I don't know how I didn't see it before. Is it really you?"

I hung my head, avoiding his gaze as everyone turned to listen to our conversation.

"It's been a long time, my lady. Too long."

"Wait, you know her? Who is she?" Tony asked, darting his head back and forth between us.

"Tell me, friends, do you not recognise her? For she was in our company for some time."

They all focused on my face, trying to establish a link. And then, something clicked.

"Freyja?"

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**Three chapters in one day. Crazy. More Loki soon, I promise!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Loki's P.O.V.**

Staring down at the humans scattering themselves, watching them cling dearly to their lives as they ran for cover from the exploding glass and tumbling debris, thrilled me far beyond my expectations. Yes, I knew that it would give me some pleasure to watch them so weak and helpless; begging me to free them, but the reality of such a feeling was surprisingly different. I had not yet wandered back to Stark Tower to see if that mysterious woman still lingered there, but it was unlikely that she had escaped. Her strength and power were meagre compared to the metal that bound her, and for now, she was not my priority, even if I found my thoughts occasionally drifting back to her. How strange it was that I did not know her name, and yet I was curiously attracted to her. It was something about those eyes, familiar and inviting, that drew me in. Perhaps I was being foolish, but she seemed to ignite something deep inside me, and that, I could not explain.

* * *

**Freyja's P.O.V.**

"Freyja?"

I swallowed thickly, making eye contact with Tony, who had been the first to make the right connections and discover who I was after Thor. An array of emotions flickered across his face, each individual feeling changing quickly to the next, which made it more difficult for me to understand what he was thinking. His deep brown eyes were staring intently into mine, making me feel slightly uncomfortable at the understanding that the eyes were often considered to be the window to the soul. My gaze drifted to Steve next, who had a very puzzled look on his face, trying to make sense of what had just happened before him. Agent Romanoff was somewhere between being disgusted and impressed, and I did not even want to begin to fathom what the others were feeling.

"You've…changed," Tony remarked, his metal head tipping forward as he examined my change in physique from head to toe, somewhat pleased at how I had turned out.

"You can say that again," Natasha muttered.

"You've-"

"I didn't mean literally, Stark."

Thor smirked, and at any other time, I would have joined him in his amusement of the situation, but now my secret was sort of out in the open, I had nothing to hide behind. _But you secretly wanted them to find out, didn't you? _My subconscious voice rang through my mind, which reminded me that it was entirely my fault that I had now found myself in a rather difficult circumstance.

"I think the question we're all searching for is, who are you? Or more importantly,_ what_ are you?" Steve enquired, stepping forward to face me directly.

I hesitated momentarily before answering, "I am Freyja…of Vanaheimr."

"Of where?"

"Vanaheimr is the sister realm of Asgard, Captain," Thor replied before I had the chance to.

"A goddess?" he asked, to which Thor dipped his head in affirmation.

"I have come to help, in any way that I can."

"And what way would that be? We can't allow you to fight if you do not have the ability to protect yourself," Natasha also came forward, eyeing me carefully.

"Well, I can only help you if I am allowed to fight."

"Now, hang on sweetheart, how do we know that we can trust you?"

I scowled at Tony, slightly irritated that he continued to use that condescending nickname for me, but I was willing to overlook it, having little desire for a quarrel. Truthfully, I was unable to answer his question without it being a lie. They couldn't really trust me. After all, what I was planning for Loki wasn't exactly going to be me showing them that I was completely on their side. Before I could say anything, however, Thor decided he would reply for me again.

"I have known Freyja since we were children. We can trust her," he smiled at me in reassurance, which I returned, knowing full well that it did not reach my eyes, though he did not seem to pick up on that.

"Even so, how can you fight with us? Unless you have some power you're not telling us about," Tony said and everyone else except Thor nodded in agreement.

Thor started to walk in my direction, but failed to get very far as I held one of my hands up and watched him being thrown through the air, which resulted in him slamming into a building on the opposite side. Thankfully, he had missed the window, and instead his back had come into contact with a much harder surface that could not shatter, but would hopefully cause less damage, considering the brute strength that Thor possessed. There were a few gasps in surprise, and even I was shocked to find that I could do something with so little effort. Before, it had taken a little more concentration, but I was discovering that as I continued to use my abilities, it was beginning to feel as easy and as natural as breathing.

"Woah. Now that…was something," Tony whispered, trying to be quiet so I would not hear, but I picked up on every word perfectly.

It had been a long time since I had received praise for something, and the feeling I experience from the statement, even if it was from Tony, was perplexing. Perhaps it was similar to what Loki felt when, after many times of Thor being in receipt of praise from Odin, had received some also.

"So can I fight?"

Several glances exchanged between each of the Avengers, but their expressions and thoughts did not go unnoticed. It took a few moments before any of them had made a decision.

"Honestly, we could use all the help we can get," Steve answered, a look of concern on his face, and I nodded.

Thor, who had recovered from my small outburst earlier, came up to my side and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"Are you sure you want to do this? I know…considering your past with Loki, you might want to-"

"Thor, Loki betrayed me. You know what he did, and I find myself being unable to forgive him. So…I'm going to fight. Please don't worry, I think I can handle myself," I interrupted, shrugging his hand off my shoulder and turning in the other direction to face the bigger problem.

Glancing around at the destruction the recent Chitauri attack had caused, I noticed that the streets were eerily quiet. It was too quiet for my liking. But then, it was the calm before the storm.

I heard a crack from behind me, as if someone had stepped on a piece of glass. I whipped around, natural instinct kicking in and positioned myself into a fighting stance, only to find that I was barely a few inches away from him, the man who I loved, and who I hated. Loki. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and then relaxed as the sudden realisation of my identity dawned upon him.

"So that's who you are."

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**TimeLady945:** **Even more crazy Loki next chapter ;)**

**ORgasmicPigeon: Your review made me laugh so much, so thanks for that! Hehe, and your wish is my command :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**So sorry for the long wait between chapters (I blame exams), but thank you to everyone who has favourited/followed during that time! Anyway, hopefully this chapter is okay :)**

We were so close that I could see every detail of his face. The slight creases next to his eyes as he grinned wickedly down at me, and the smoothness of his pale complexion that, for so long, I had wanted to reach out and touch. A tingling sensation rushed through my body, igniting a flurry of impulses that I wished to act upon, but found myself unable to do so for I was rooted to the ground I stood on, frozen and disturbed. Being this near to him, I realised that underneath his tough, icy exterior, the warmth that I had grown fond of was still there, as faint as it was. The difficult part would be trying to reach it, and I was uncertain that it could be done. The very thought of this pierced my heart with a familiar sadness I no longer wanted to bear, and I was grateful that my aptitude allowed me to veil my feelings from the world, so the despair did not register on my face. Loki could not see the pain that his presence caused me to feel, though I was sure that he would soon enough. My eyes stopped exploring his features, and came to rest somewhere behind him, avoiding his intense gaze.

Thor and the other Avengers immediately started forward, weapons and fists raised, ready to attack Loki, but I lifted my hand, shaking my head to signal to them that this was my fight. And I wasn't going to have it any other way.

"Yes," I whispered, taking a step backwards and lowering my hand to distance myself from whatever warmth still radiated from him.

His smile widened, "Oh, this is good. This is very good."

"Good? You haven't seen me in over three hundred years and all you can say is 'good'?" I snapped angrily, forcing me to make eye contact with him.

"Wait a second," I heard Tony say from behind me, sauntering over to stand between myself and Loki.

Trust Tony to ruin the moment.

"You guys know each other? This is just too good."

"Will people please stop saying that it's good?" I hissed, and Tony was immediately silent, drifting back over to the Avengers like a child who had just been scolded.

Loki tilted his head to the side, his face contorting into an expression of confusion. I could see him studying me carefully, scanning every inch of my change in stature and my notable Asgardian garments, before ceasing his observation when his eyes met my tumbling ginger curls. Slowly and tentatively, Loki raised a hand, guiding it towards my hair, but I quickly grabbed his wrist, digging my nails into the tender flesh. He snatched it back, scowling as he ran his thumb over the area that I had injured, and took a few paces backwards, as if he was wary of what I might do to him further.

"What has happened to you?" Loki enquired, his voice edged with tenderness and pain, but that quickly changed to a mocking tone when he continued, "You were once so eager to impress me."

"I changed Loki. That's what people do. I was young and foolish back then. I am not now."

A small laugh escaped his lips, and his eyes began to twinkle with a kind of satisfaction at my reply.

"I always found it rather…flattering."

"Well you would, wouldn't you? Always trying to expand your ego. I had hoped that you had changed, Loki. You were once so kind and caring. Now look at you, commanding a contemptible little army from the depths of space. There was a time when I had thought you would become something…_more. _I find myself disappointed."

Loki's face fell, free from the complacency that I had seen earlier, but he quickly repaired his damaged pride and he cleared his face of all emotion. I could tell that my words had had an effect on him. Maybe they mattered, though I was not able to understand why. Loki had not cared for my opinion in far too long. I could hardly see a reason to why he would start now. Perhaps I should have been more appreciative of this newfound attention that he was giving me. Or not.

"I was vain, imprudent, and far too kind. But, no more. Not for you, anyway."

"Oh, but you have been so kind to me already. Do you not see?" Loki's devilish grin was back, and he had returned to his confusing trickery.

"I-I don't understand."

"Must I explain everything to you Freyja?" Loki sighed heavily, growing impatient of my inability to comprehend what he was saying.

"You deem me so unintelligent, and I am sick of you thinking me so far below you. Just tell me how I have been kind to you," I said sharply, causing him to raise an eyebrow at my sudden ferocity.

I watched attentively as Loki considered what I had said to him. As usual, when I attempted to reach his thoughts, he blocked me, smirking down at my exasperated face. I could feel several conflicting emotions in the atmosphere, and hear the laboured breathing of the Avengers behind me. Having heightened senses that allowed me to hear proficiently was a blessing, but also a curse. I was easily distracted by the sounds of the city and the rushing of air into a person's lungs. Particularly Tony's because he seemed to enjoy breathing more dramatically than anyone else.

"Have you not noticed that all the time you blessed me with your presence, you have merely provided me with a further insight into your abilities?" Loki stalked forwards, airing a superiority I had only seen once before, "I had no idea you were capable of such power when we were on Asgard. All you have done is to ruin any chance you might have had of defeating me."

Somewhere inside my mind, a little bit of hope resurfaced. If Loki thought that my breaking his somewhat impressive chains was the best representation of the power that I possessed, then maybe I did have a chance after all. Despite all of his scheming, his deception, his lies, he had no more thought through his plan than a child does when devising a trick to play on their enemy. I could almost laugh at his juvenile behaviour. The Loki I knew would never be so irrational. Perhaps this plan was not even his own.

At that moment, I discovered myself thinking back to my first encounter with Loki on this realm, when he had seemed so lost, so unsure of the power that he wielded and what he was going to use it for. But now, he was surprisingly confident in his actions, and I was the one to blame for that. I had sworn that I would not let my feelings for him interfere with my own plans, and yet, I had done just that. I was subconsciously allowing my emotions to cloud what little judgement I thought to have. He had invaded my mind, not by using magic, but by using my own foolishness against me. It was I that was letting him in, and this made me realise that Loki was not the infuriating person in this situation. I was.

But that little ounce of hope kept pulsating deep in my mind. I knew that the only chance I had of defeating Loki was to fight him. Fight him with everything I had. It would hurt. Blood would spill, words would be said, and one of us would be victorious. However, there was still much to discuss. And there was one thing I wished to know.

"There was once a time when you would never even think of angering me. Do you not remember that, Loki?" I questioned softly, watching his face relax as he tried to understand what I was referring to, "We were in the meadow, and you held my hand as we walked. Then you left me there, not even bothering to acknowledge how I might have felt! And to make it worse, you stole the one thing that proved to your father that I was an ally. You didn't even stop to think what it might mean for me."

I paused for a moment, exhilarated by the fury boiling up inside of me. I had kept so much anger and frustration to myself for longer than I wished to remember, and now I was finally letting it all out. The tears had begun to form in the corner of my eyes, threatening to spill over at any moment.

"What about my brother? I thought he was dead! And I find him here, on Earth, fighting for your worthless cause," I spat the words furiously at him, allowing the tears to build up and overflow.

Something flashed across Loki's face. Was it guilt? Did he finally understand what he had done to me? Or was this just another phase of his personality? Many other questions rushed through my mind as I strolled forward so that, like before, there was barely an inch between us.

"I don't think you should be asking what has happened to me. It is I who should be asking what has happened to _you_."


End file.
